Month: January 2017

Remnants of ‘Old Church’ at Jamestown Colony, Virginia; photo 1890s. CREDIT: Jackson, William Henry, photographer. “Old Church, Jamestown, Virginia,” 1902. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Reproduction Number LC-D4-14191. You know the tale: settlers from England landed on Jamestown Island (as it began to be called) on May 14, 1607 to establish the first… Continue reading Jamestown Colony: Along with the Leaf Came Slavery

Description: William Claiborne; Source: Appleton’s 1880 Cyclopedia of American Biography. Perhaps you’ve seen before this portrait of William Claiborne of Kent, England and Jamestown, Virginia. William is the progenitor of a branch of the Claiborne (Cleborn; Clayborn, etc) family in America and was an early settler, government official and surveyor of Virginia, arriving as a… Continue reading William Claiborne Surveyor of Jamestown

Originally posted on Magdalene College Libraries: The following is the first in a series of guest blogs by Puneeta Sharma, our Paper Conservation Intern working on the Ferrar Papers in the Old Library: THE FERRAR PRINT COLLECTION CONSERVATION PROJECT On Monday 28th July, I started my one-month internship at the Old Library, Magdalene College, working…

It must be because January 3rd is my birthday that I returned today (January 2nd!) to my notes on a maternal ancestor Francis P. Power who enlisted in the 14th Continental Army under Col. John Glover on January 3, 1776, Marblehead Regiment. His enlistment was part of the push of January 1, 1776 to gain new recruits for… Continue reading Francis P Power Revolutionary soldier

“There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: One is roots, the other is wings.” Teaching children values and giving them the opportunity to excel are essential to good parenting. However, I feel I must also provide my children (and myself) insight into the ones who came before us: our ancestors whose lives and stories have shaped us into who we are. This is my journey; these are their stories…